Lighten Up East Texas kicks off for 10th year

Published 5:30 am Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Lighten Up East Texas kicked off Monday for its 10th year.

In 2024, Lighten Up East Texas and FIT City Tyler returned for the first time since the pandemic. The program was started to encourage people to get active.

As the 10th year gets underway, past participants such as last year’s winner are encouraging others to sign up for the weight loss challenge.

“I never in a million years thought I could win something like this! If anyone is on the fence about participating, you have nothing to lose … except weight,” said Rebecca Ragsdale, the 2024 winner of Lighten Up East Texas.

To participate, take the first two numbers of your weight and divide it by 2. That answer is your 5% goal. Anyone over the age of 18 who enters at an official weighing location for Lighten Up East Texas as loses at least 5% of their starting weight in 16 weeks, by April 25 will be entered in a random drawing for $5,000 cash.

Wills Point ISD and each of their individual campuses were one of the 120 weighing locations that registered their employees electronically into Lighten Up East Texas last year. Ragsdale weighed-in and weighed-out with her campus nurse and her name was randomly selected at the annual Fit City Tyler Celebration Event last May.

“I was looking into visiting Australia, so the money came at the literal perfect time,” Ragsdale said. “I toured the Sydney Opera House climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, went whale watching, explored the Blue Mountains, enjoyed time with wild kangaroos, attended a few Rugby League games – I had the time of my life!”

How to enter

A person who loses at least 10% of their starting weight earns two entries into grand prize drawings, 15% earns three entries, and people who lose 20% or more their weight will earn the maximum of four entries.

School campuses, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, and community groups can set up a private weighing location for their employees by sending an email to JoinFitCityTyler@gmail.com and receive access to the online registration process for their employees.

“A company does not have to be a ‘health-related business’ in order to weigh their employees and customers into Lighten Up East Texas,” said Terrence Ates, planning committee member for Fit City Tyler. “There is no cost to become a weighing location and the registration period will be open through Jan. 31.”

Any business of any size in East Texas can become a weighing location and combine Lighten Up East Texas with its worksite wellness initiatives. Registration is now open at nearly 20 public weighing locations that have been posted on the Lighten Up East Texas page of FitCityTyler.com.